Vouchers

By Eleanor Holmes Norton
I believe we can get beyond the controversy and recrimination concerning the controversial D.C. School Choice Incentive Act. Like most Americans, District residents and public officials, including me, opposed public funds for private schools when the act was passed by Congress as a five-year pilot program.

Students in the D.C. school voucher program generally did no better on reading and math tests after two years than public school peers, U.S. Education Department report says.

The Louisiana Senate voted 25 to 12 for a bill that would let up to 1,500 low- to middle-income students in New Orleans attend private schools at taxpayer expense.

Congress looks to kill D.C. vouchers. Democrats in Congress have finally found a federal program they want to eliminate. And wouldn't you know, it's one that actually works and helps thousands of poor children.

By Valerie Strauss and Bill Turque
The groundbreaking federal voucher program that enables nearly 2,000 D.C. children to attend private schools is facing an uncertain future in the Democrat-controlled Congress and may well be heading into its final year of operation, according to officials and supporters of the program.

AUSTIN — The Texas Education Agency is opening the back door to school vouchers with a plan to use state money to help both public and private groups educate dropouts, critics charged Tuesday.

BY ALAN J. BORSUK
Graduation rates higher among voucher students
A second round of results comparing high school graduation figures for Milwaukee Public Schools and a group of private schools in the city's publicly funded voucher program has reached the same conclusion as a report issued in January: Students who attend voucher schools are more likely to graduate than those who attend MPS.

PHOENIX - A coalition of parent, education and civic organizations is lauding a decision today by the Arizona Court of Appeals, which ruled that tax-payer funded vouchers that subsidize private school tuition are unconstitutional.

By Jeb Bush
Unfortunately, in a recent editorial regarding the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission, the St. Petersburg Times employs worn-out diversionary tactics to obfuscate the issues and conceal its true position — the paper's editorial board despises the concept of providing school choice options to low-income students.

The educational interests of 1,900 D.C. children are riding on Adrian Fenty's trip to the Hill tomorrow. IN MAKING education his top priority, D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty has been guided by one principle: Children trump politics. It's an idea that Mr. Fenty might want to expound on when he goes to Capitol Hill this week to defend funding for the city's unique school voucher program.

Increasing the Variety and Choice of Quality Schooling Options in Qatar
In order to offer parents further variety of school choices, over the next few years, the SEC aims to bring private schools into the education system through an educational Voucher Program. Over time, parents will be able to use educational vouchers towards the tuition costs in the school of their choice – either Independent or accredited private.

ANNAPOLIS — School-choice supporters appear likely to win a sizable victory in this year's General Assembly. The Senate has already passed a bill that gives a tax credit to businesses who donate to scholarship funds for private schools, and a House committee is scheduled to hear the measure today.

Less than a year after the Utah Board of Education refused to implement a school voucher program, a number of school-choice advocates are popping up as board candidates.

Texas won't use private school vouchers to educate high school dropouts, a state education council insisted Tuesday while adopting a strategic plan aimed at increasing graduation rates. But a group critical of school vouchers remains skeptical.

BY ALAN J. BORSUK
34 applicants to voucher program show interest remains significant
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